STEVE CHABOT
1ST DISTflICT, OHIO
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.a~ington,J)~20515-3501
August 4, 2011
The Honorable Eric H. Holder
US Department ofJustice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530
The Honorable Julius Genachowski
Federal Communications Commission
445 12
th
Street, SW
Washington, DC 20554
2361 RAVB RN HOUSE OFFICE BUllOING
(202) 225-2216
Dear Attorney General Holder and Chairman Genachowski:
As a member ofthe House Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Competition andth~
Internet, I am writing in regard tq the prqposed merger ofAT&T and T-Mobile. Whe
assessingthe effects this merger will have on wireless sewices and consumers, I.urge ou
to carefully consider the capabilities for theregio~alami rural wireless carriers to, '
continue providing'consimiers withcolIlpetitivelllternatives to the national providers'
serviceofferings. '
These smaller~arrierscUrrently provide important competitive choice to consumers
across the country. In order to ensure consumers still have viable options, it is especi Iy
important to examine the impa<:t ofthis proposed merger on regional and rural wireles
service providers' opportunities to secure the vital inputs including spectrum, roaming
and handsets, necessary for their operation. "
The regional and rural carriers have become an important part ofthe competitive natio al
wireless mosaic. These small carriers have purchased spectrum and have made
substantial capital investment in their networks to offer voice and wireless proadband
services. They are also important economic engines in terms ofcontinued infrastruct' ,e
iirvestmentand job creation, both within their own footprintsas wella~,across the '
telecommunications supplierchain.'
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H"owever" it is im,portant t,O remem,'ber t,hat like the ,natl,'on,ai", carriers, the r,e
g
,ionalcarrie~s
also need access to spectrum appropriate for continued deployment ofcompetitive
services within their networks. Moreover, the regional and rural carriers must rely on
roamirigagre~mentswith thf;n~tionalcarriers in order to.provide coast-to-coast'servic ,
when their customers travel outside the carriers' regional'footprints. ' , " I
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Ifthe merger goes through, a vast amount ofthe most valuable spectrum for deployme t
ofadvanced services will be controlled by one carrier. In addition, elimination ofthe
alternative roaming partner for the regional and rural providers that utilize GSM
technology will greatly impact the regional and rural wireless providers. While I do no
take a position on the merger, I do believe the concerns mentioned above warrant care
examination ofthe proposed merger by both the Department ofJustice and the Federal
Communications Commission.
Thank you for your consideration ofthis matter,
Steve Chabot
Member of Congress